While planning a trip near Lake Geneva, i noticed two SUV options at Geneva Airport that look suitable: a Toyota Yaris Cross Automatic with Avis and a Renault Arkana Automatic with Budget. I first saw both listed on Vipcars, and the vehicles seem practical for a mix of city and mountain driving. I haven’t used either company at GVA before, so I’m curious about how reliable the rental experience is there.
If anyone has recently rented either of these models, I’d love to hear how things went. In particular, I’m wondering about the insurance: was the coverage included sufficient for driving in Switzerland and possibly across the French border, or did you need to purchase additional protection? Any insights on both the vehicle and the insurance experience would be really helpful.
I don’t have any experience of those vehicles in particular, but personally, I would hesitate to call the Yaris a “SUV”, even if it has had a bodyshape morphing to make it look like one.
The only caveat I have wrt GVA and renting a car is to make sure to take it back to the correct side of the border, as it wasn’t entirely obvious for me when coming back in from Switzerland. A few years ago now, I rented from the French side, and dropped it off by mistake on the Swiss side. That got me in the naughty books with Hertz, aside from having to pay afterwards for the “cross-border repatriation”.
Yes this is the key thing at Geneva - pick a side and stick to it!
When I shot a wedding in Chamonix a number of years ago I rented from Sixt on the Swiss side as it was an easier drive from there than from the French side.
If you’re going through Switzerland bear in mind you need to buy a vignette if you plan to use their autoroutes.
What’s with this GVA malarky, it’ll always be Cointrin to me
Neither of them are exactly fly-by-nights, so you’re safe enough. I prefer Avis myself, I find them more open to deals/upgrades etc. Also, do get a personal annual CDW insurance policy instead of paying the silly rental company’s rates.
I used to fly in and out of there a lot the early eighties.
I got propositioned once by a (very pretty) BA stewardess who was on an overnight. I made my excuses and left, as they used to say in the News of the World (apparently) and my driver took me home to Grenoble.
I still have the plus-fours.